My Pirate
by captainodonewithyou
Summary: Neal confronts Emma about Killian but his insults don't work quite as intended. (swan)


With her arms full of heavy grocery bags, Emma stepped into her apartment.  
"Hey Emma."  
The unexpected male voice from her living room startled her, nearly causing her to drop the bags she held.  
"Neal? What are you doing here? How did you get in?"  
"Mary Margaret let me in. She just left a few minutes ago, but she said I could wait for you." Neal answered. "Look, Emma. I just wanna talk."  
Emma sighed as she set the bags onto the counter and took a seat across from her ex.  
"Talk about what?" she asked.  
"I think you know. We never got a chance to talk about… us."  
A sinking feeling filled Emma's stomach.  
"Yeah, well. A wicked witch trying to kill the entire town does tend to be a bit distracting." she answered sarcastically.  
"Say, where's Henry? I didn't think Regina had him today." Neal asked, glancing around the room like Henry might be hiding in a corner.  
"She doesn't." Emma answered, crossing her arms over her chest. He's been out on the harbor all day, sailing. With Hook." It was no secret that Emma had been spending a lot of time with Hook lately, or that Henry adored the man. After the events with the Witch, Emma had made Hook deputy, increasing both the time Emma spent with him, and how "Cool!" Henry thought he was.  
Neal clenched his jaw.  
"You sure that's such a good idea?"  
Emma decided to ignore that question. Quite frankly, she was sick of Neal's sly comments about Hook.  
"You said you wanted to talk about us."  
Neal nodded.  
"I still love you, Emma. And you told me you love me, too."  
"Yes. I said that I probably always will. But Neal, I also said that I wished you were dead, because it would be easier for me to move on from you. I can't be with you again. Not anymore."  
"It's Hook, isn't it?" Neal asked, his voice cold and sharp. "You chose him, didn't you? You chose that damn _pirate_ over me, didn't you?" He spat the word "pirate" out of his mouth with such hate, as though the word itself was venom. Emma winced.  
"This isn't a contest. To be clear, I haven't "chosen" anyone. But forget Hook right now. I'm talking about you and me." She said, her voice cool.  
"Then why are you so against giving us another chance?"  
"Are you serious? You almost destroyed me, Neal! You left me alone, betrayed me. I imagined a thousand reasons why you would've done that, and every single one hurt. And then I found out I was pregnant. You finding out about Henry is _nothing_ compared to everything I felt at that moment."  
"Emma, I didn't know. If I had, I never would've-"  
Emma shook her head.  
"You don't know that. Anyway, it's done. You made a decision that can't be taken back. It's over. I've changed. We both grew up. Those people that we were back then, they're dead." she said quietly. Neal's face flushed red.  
"So you're saying that none of this… You rejecting me… it has nothing to do with _him_?"  
Emma couldn't stop the rosy blush from staining her cheeks. She gripped the arms of the chair tightly, wishing he would _just leave_. Neal took a deep breath. "Emma…" he began, forcing his voice to stay calm. "Hook's not a good guy. He's bad news."  
"No. You know nothing about him. He's not a villain!" Emma retorted.  
"He'll only use you. He'll get what he wants, and then he'll leave you." Neal fought back. But Emma knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Neal was wrong. So, so wrong. Even without Hook's confession in the Echo Cave, she knew that he loved her, by the way he looked at her like she was the rarest jewel on earth, the way he'd drop whatever he was doing to help her, the way he knew her better than anyone ever could. She shook her head.  
"You're wrong. You need to leave now, Neal. Get out." She hissed, green eyes flashing.  
Neal walked towards the door, turning around one last time to growl a final few icy words.  
"Fine. Go be with your pirate."  
For half an instant, Emma froze.  
"Wait!" She said suddenly.  
_Your pirate. Your pirate. My pirate?_  
She was tired of hiding her feelings, from herself, from everyone. It was time to let herself admit what she felt.  
"You know what? I will. I'm going right now, to be with my son, and my pirate."  
She stormed out of the apartment, leaving a very shocked Neal behind her. Her heart beat heavily against her ribcage. Her eyes were foggy and she barely paid attention to where she was going as she walked quickly out the door and down the sidewalk. As she turned a corner, she collided directly into Hook himself.  
"Bloody hell, Swan. Where are you going in such a hurry?" He exclaimed, but the look in his eyes said that he was glad to see her. Emma stumbled back a few steps.  
"Hey mom!" Henry said excitedly from Hook's side. "I learned how to sail a pirate ship!"  
Emma looked at her son with a smile.  
"That's great… Hey Henry, why don't you run home and take a shower? I'll be up soon, and we can order whatever you want for dinner."  
Henry smiled widely and quickly ran off in the direction Emma had come from. Emma turned back to Hook, her smile falling away.  
Hook touched her arm lightly, cautiously.  
"What's wrong, Swan?" he asked, with concern filling his face. "What happened? Do you need to sit?"  
Emma shook her head. The courage she'd gained was already beginning to fail her.  
"I'm fine… I just…" She stumbled over her words. She'd gotten this far, she wasn't turning back.  
_My pirate. My pirate._  
She liked the way the words rang in her mind.  
She touched his cheek lightly with her hand and looked up into his eyes.  
"Swan?" He whispered.  
Her lips met his, far more gently than they had in Neverland. She could feel his muscles tense from surprise, then relax, and he was kissing her back, just as tenderly.  
She broke away, but kept her face close to his. She could feel his heart beating steadily against her chest and she smiled before whispering quietly.  
"My pirate."


End file.
